


Underflame

by Lapis01



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Underflame (Undertale), Dragons, Elves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:35:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25325491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lapis01/pseuds/Lapis01
Summary: In a world where Elves and Dragons roam the Earth, there is bound to be trouble.Short stories for my Undertale Au, Underflame!





	1. Prologue

Many years ago, Elves and Dragons lived together peacefully; until one day, the Elves decided coexisting withe the Dragons was too dangerous. Fear and greed lead to a war: the war between Elves and Dragons. The Elves, having been equipped with great speed, stealth, magic, and Determination, were able to seal the Dragons underground, locking them away forever.

King Asgore, ruler of the Dragons, was forced to make due with the numbers they had left. Resources were scarce, at first, but the Dragons eventually adapted. They built dens, gathering grounds, and much more. The King and Queen even had a son: Asriel Dreemurr, The Prince of Dragons.

The Prince was a kind child who only wanted peace. So, when he stumbled upon a fallen Elf, he chose to befriend them. Chara, as they called themselves, was the first Elf to fall into the Underground. The King and Queen, with the former somewhat suspicious at first, adopted the child into their family. The Elf child became a symbol of hope throughout the Underground. Dragons believed them to one day destroy the Barrier- a magical seal, put in place by the Elf mages, that kept the Dragons trapped underground. However, Chara suddenly fell very ill after ingesting a deadly amount of White Snakeroot- which they had originally believed to be Boneset. Despite the Royal Family’s efforts, they could not save the child.

Distraught, the Prince absorbed Chara’s Soul and passed through the Barrier. He only wished to bury his friend among the trees, as was an Elf custom. However, when an Elf hunting party spotted the Prince with the dead child being carried carefully in his jaws, they assumed that he had killed them. The Elves attacked, yet, the Prince did nothing. He collapsed as more and more arrows sunk into his body. He refused to fight back, even as his blood began to soak the Earth.

When the Prince returned home, he was bleeding heavily and filled with arrows. In front of the King and Queen, the Prince collapsed and didn’t get back up. Furious and distraught, the King ordered for any future Elf that fell into their world be brought to him, so that he may kill them and take their SOUL. After all, they only needed 7 Elf SOULs to destroy the Barrier.

When a young Elf- named Frisk- fell into the Underground, King Asgore had already taken 6 SOULs. Frisk was then given a choice: Kill the Dragons, or risk it all and save them.


	2. The Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A child has fallen into the Underground

Their feet had carried them up the mountain without them realizing. Frisk stood at the edge of a rather steep drop into the dark depths of the mountain. This was the place where Elves went, and never returned. They had always been curious about the nature of the mountain. Some folk said it held the last of the Dragons- others said it was filled with mystical power. Curiosity and their horrible family pushed Frisk to take the step forwards, sending them falling through the dark entryway. Their heart was pounding as they fell. Eventually, their vision went black as they lost consciousness. 

When Frisk came to, all they could think of was how their head hurt. Surprisingly, however, the rest of their body felt fine. Their pointed ears twitched as they pushed themselves into a sitting position. A quick glance down revealed that their blue and pink striped sweater was intact, but covered in dirt. Oh well. The fact that they even survived that fall was a miracle. Frisk peered around the cavern they had landed in. Beneath them was a little patch of grass, while the rest of the floor was stone. Huh. There was a door near by, so Frisk stood up, brushed themselves off, and made their way over. 

Upon closer inspection, it wasn't actually a door- just the frame of one. The purple frame was covered in designs, but Frisk mostly ignored it. As they entered the next room, the first thing they took notice of was the small snake-like creature watching them. Five yellow petal-like fins sat on the reptile's head and a small pair of horns adorned its forehead. 

"Howdy," It spoke. 

Frisk froze, brown furrowing in surprise. It could talk? 

"I'm Flowey! Flowey the Dragon!" 

It had a name, then. Frisk took a step closer. Flowey seemed friendly enough. Maybe it would be safe to approach him? 

"You're new to the Underground, aren' tcha?" Flowey watched Frisk innocently, eyes bright. He gave off an odd vibe. 

Frisk gave a small nod. They couldn't help but look the little reptile over once more. Flowey had a green, snake-like body with a pair of wings tipped with red claws. His face was a pale tan- which made him look quite a bit like a flower when coupled with the yellow fins he had. Being so small only added to the look. He was probably just large enough to wrap around Frisk's arm twice. 

"Golly, you must be so confused," Flowey said, features softening in sympathy. 

Frisk held their hands close to their chest and nodded once more. They weren't sure what they had been expecting to find in this mountain, but it certainly hadn't been talking snakes with wings.

"Someone ought to teach ya how things work around here! I guess little old me will have to do," Flowey hummed. Despite his lack of Elf-like features, Frisk could tell he was smiling. "Ready? Here we go!"

Suddenly, Frisk felt a pull on their Soul as they were brought into battle. They frowned, both confused and nervous. Their red Soul glowed faintly beneath their sweater. 

Flowey began explaining what their Soul was, then what LOVE was. Frisk.... didn't buy it. There was something very off about this whole situation. They eyed Flowey cautiously as the reptile released multiple white bullets- which he had told Frisk to collect. Instead, they dodged, heart pounding in their chest. Something was wrong here. 

"Hey, buddy..... You missed them.."

Flowey released another set of bullets, though his friendliness seemed.... strained. Like he was putting on an act. After Frisk dodged for a second time, Flowey started hissing out insults. Frisk once again jumped out of the way. 

This time, Flowey changed. His eyes flickered red and his mouth split into a terrifying grin. For some reason, Frisk didn't think the grin meant Flowey was happy... 

"You know what's going on here, don't you?" 

The once tiny creature faded from existence as a much larger, and much more intimidating being took its place. Red eyes flashed menacingly at Frisk as a maw filled with razor sharp teeth shifted closer. Flowey was far taller than Frisk now, though they couldn't tell his exact size. The hulking beast had his tail curled loosely around around Frisk, making him seem far larger than they would have ever expected. 

"You just wanted to see me suffer," He snarled, tail tightening around Frisk as pellets appeared all around them.

Was this it! Was this how they died? Frisk tried to struggle, but their efforts were futile. They let out a terrified breath, heart beating faster than ever before in their chest. 

"Die!" Flowey began cackling madly as he tightened his grip.

Just when Frisk as the last bit of air left Frisk's lungs, a powerful blast of fire slammed into Flowey. It send the beast flying with a yelp. Frisk fell to the floor with a pained wheeze. They tried to push themselves up, but found it to be far too painful. Was their rib-cage bruised? Because it certainly felt like it.

Something white and fluffy came into view. Frisk flinched, scared this creature would try to hurt them as well. Instead, a gentle tail wrapped around their mid-section and helped them to their feet. 

"What a terrible creature...," Came a gentle voice. Frisk found themselves comforted by it. "Torturing such a poor, innocent youth..."

Frisk used the tail for support as the looked to their savor. The best way to describe this creature was as a white, fluffy Dragon with ears. Friendly red eyes watched them as they finally stood on their own. 

"Ah, do not be afraid, my child," She said, concern in her eyes. She sat on her haunches, wings folding comfortably behind her. "I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins. I pass through this place every day to see if someone has fallen down."

Toriel. What a pretty name. Frisk smiled, feeling much more comfortable in Toriel's presence than they had with Flowey.

"You are the first Elf to come here in a long time," Toriel continued. "Come, I will-"

Frisk cut them off as they lurched forwards and wrapped their arms around her furry neck in a hug. Toriel took to the hug quickly and gently rested her head on Frisk's shoulder. After such a scare with Flowey, Frisk hadn't been able to help themselves. They felt their eyes become watery- a telltale sign of what was soon to come. It didn't take long for their tears to fall and for a soft sob to leave their throat. They buried their face in Toriel's fur as the Dragon quietly hushed them.

"It's alright, my child. You are safe now," She hummed, softly. "I will keep you safe."

If Frisk stayed like that for a while, even after their tears had stopped, Toriel didn't mention it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! Fun fact! Flowey has the ability to use an illusion on people that makes him seem small and innocent. He's actually super big, but he isn't very strong. It helps him get the jump on others in hostile situations.


	3. Skelebros

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hidden within a cave in Waterfall, two babybones sleep.

There are many places in Waterfall that can be very difficult for larger Dragons to fit into. Caves, burrows, and so forth. So, it made sense for younger and nervous Dragons to hide within one of these spots- especially when they had something to protect. Such was the case with Sans- a young Skeletal Dragon- and his baby brother, Papyrus. The world wasn't always the kindest, as Sans had learned very early on. Not everyone could be trusted, and not everyone was inherently good.

Sans stretched, tail curling as a yawn left him. His eye lights flickered on, though he was still tired. Papyrus shifted besides him, obviously annoyed at having been woken up. Papyrus was still a baby- he was fragile, small, energetic, and sweet. He had yet to form full words, but Sans was certain they were just about to that point. 

Sans pushed himself to his feet, making sure to tuck his skeletal wings comfortably against his sides. They were out of food again. He had given the last of their scraps to Papyrus last night. Of course, he suffered for it, but at least papyrus was fed. The younger Dragon was in the process of standing himself up and shaking the sleep from his bones. When the two had fully woken themselves up, Sans offered the tip of his tail to Papyrus, which the younger took gently between his teeth. Then, they were off. Sans lead the way towards Snowdin- knowing the Dragons there were fairly friendly. It was easier to get away with food when the folk around you assumed others wouldn't steal. 

Sans didn't like stealing. It felt cheap and awful; but, what else could he do? He didn't have anything to offer, and nor did Papyrus. Asking politely had never gotten them anywhere, so it was just easier to take what they needed and leave before they were caught.

Sans froze at the edge of Snowdin. He sniffed at the air and flicked his gaze from side to side. The coast was clear, so he led Papyrus into the snow. The tiny Dragon let out a whimper as cold snow suddenly collided with his feet and rib-cage, but continued on. It wasn't long before they made it to town. Sans was cautious- making sure to keep to the sidelines. Thankfully, the white of his and Papyrus' bones allowed for them to blend in well with the snow that covered the ground. It was still rather early, thankfully, which meant there were few Dragons out and about. Most were still asleep in their dens. So, when a massive Dragon with a cracked face took notice of them, Sans was rightfully terrified. Papyrus, however, did not understand the situation. He clicked his jaws together in excitement as the stranger began heading towards them. 

Sans let out a hiss, wings spread and legs far apart to make himself look larger. One of his eye lights flickerd out, leaving the black of his eye socket on one side. The other eye light flashed blue. 

"Hello, little ones," Came the weird voice. It sounded like metal scraping against metal. Sans was honestly surprised he could understand it.

Sans chose not to respond, instead letting out a low growl. Papyrus was attempting to squirm out from behind him. 

"You're Skeletons, aren't you? I thought I was the last one." 

Sans couldn't help the confused squint he aimed towards the larger. "W-What?" His stance relaxed slightly.

"You wouldn't be able to understand me if you weren't," The stranger said, singular eye light focusing on Sans with what looked like excitement.

It was then that Sans decided to take a closer look at the other. A jagged crack ran up from a deformed eye socket on one side, while the other had a crack running from the base of the socket to the top of the Dragon's jaw. A quick glance down revealed the stranger had holes carved into his feet. Other than that, he looked like a larger version of Sans. 

Sans suddenly shook his skull, stance stiffening again. He couldn't let this stranger catch him off-guard. "W-What do y-you want?!"

The larger dragon tilted his head to the side and sat on his haunches. "I won't hurt you," He said, suddenly. "I want to help, actually. Are you two lost?"

Before Sans had the chance to reply, Papyrus jumped out from behind him and trotted excitedly up to the stranger. He let out a soft huff and clicked his teeth together. The stranger chuckled and lowered his skull to gently tap his snout against Papyrus'. The little dragon let out a squeal of delight and flapped his wings excitedly.

Sans, however, was not happy. He lurched forwards and pulled his brother back towards him- much to Papyrus' disappointment. "Keep away from him," He growled. 

The stranger tilted his head once more. "You're nervous- which makes sense. You two seem like you've been on your own for a while," He murmured, though mostly to himself. "Let me start over. My name is Gaster. A close friend of mine runs a tavern nearby, if you two would like something to eat." 

Sans froze at this. Somebody was offering them food? His stance relaxed once more. Maybe... they should take advantage of this? If things went bad, Sans would... figure something out. He glanced down to Papyrus, who was squirming around in his tight grip. A soft sigh left him as he released his brother and peered back up at Gaster.

"We don't have anything to give you in return," He mumbled. 

Gaster's rather terrifying features seemed to soften at that. "You won't owe anyone anything," He promised. 

Finally, Sans gave a nod of approval. Gaster hummed softly to himself, then slowly stood. He gestured with his snout for Sans and Papyrus to follow him.

"This way. It's not far." 

Gaster was true to his word. It only took the little group a few moments to make their way into a rather large structure. Papyrus lit up at the sight of the place. His tail wagged excitedly as they walked. A flaming dragon was passing out glowing drinks in what looked to be potion bottles. However, as soon as the beast took notice of them, he immediately made his way over. 

"Gaster," The dragon greeted, eyeing Sans and Papyrus with curiosity. "Who are they?"

Something weird happened. a pair of floating elf-like hands with holes through their palms appeared above Gaster. The moved in a weird way, as though speaking. The flaming dragon seemed to understand, as he flicked in surprised. He refocused on Sans a Papyrus with a calm stare. 

"My name is Grillby," He announced, flames flickering pleasantly. Sans was entranced by the way they moved. "I heard you two are hungry. How does lamb sound?" 

Papyrus perked up at the mention of food. He nudged Sans with his snout, excited. 

"Uh, sure," sans said, quietly. He was nervous being around so many strangers. "Is there anywhere quieter we could sit?"

Grillby nodded and turned towards what looked like a den. Gaster followed after him, though paused to peer back at Sans and Papyrus. 

"This way," He said. The hands above him had disappeared at some point. Sans decided to ask about those later.

Sans tugged Papyrus in the right direction and followed after Gaster and Grillby. When they entered the new room, Sans was surprised to find that it was a den, though it was rather barren. Thankfully, there was nobody else inside.

"If you three wait here, I'll get your lamb." And with that, Grillby disappeared back out the entrance to the den.

Papyrus flopped over on his side, content to just stretch out on the ground. Sans, however, was more alert.

"So," Gaster said, eye light on Sans. "If I may ask a second time: what are your names?" 

Sans considered this for a moment, the decided that giving out their names would do them no harm. 

"I'm Sans, and this is my brother, Papyrus." 

Gaster seemed happy with the answer. "Do you two live on your own?"

"Yeah," Sans replied. "Been on our own since Papyrus was little." 

Gaster nodded and fell silent. Sans took that as his cue to settle on the ground next to Papyrus. It wasn't much longer before Grillby returned with a rather juicy looking piece of lamb in his jaws. He placed it on the ground in front of Sans, then took a step back. Sans gave a cautious sniff, then nudged Papyrus towards it and let him eat. It was only after Papyrus had finished eating when Sans finally ate what was left. Grillby and Gaster had taken to talking in the corner. Well, Gaster was using those hand things again while Grillby did all the talking. 

After Sans finished, he couldn't help but dwell on the oddity that was Gaster. He heard that name before, but he couldn't..... OH! 

"You're the Royal Scientist, aren't you? WingDings Gaster?" Sans' question was sudden and loud. It actually managed to startle the dragon in question. 

Gaster turned to Sans, tail swishing light behind him. "I am," He replied. Grillby seemed surprised at the suddenness of the other's voice. 

"Then... Why are you helping us? There's no reason for it." After so long on his own, Sans had learned that many had alternative motives behind helping others.

"Because," Gaster said, simply. "You are younglings. You deserve to eat and be in a safe place."

Sans flickered a confused look at that. Gaster took this as his cue to continue. 

"I've talked it over with Grillby, and he says you're welcome here any time you want. You can eat whenever- free of charge. I'm here whenever I have the time, so you'd see quite a bit of me, so...-" Gaster stopped himself, realizing he had been rambling. "Anyway, you two can always find a safe place with both Grillby and myself."

Sans was having a difficult time comprehending this. A... safe place with free food? They wouldn't even have to steal? It sounded too good to be true. Papyrus had not understood a word of what was happening and was attempting to doze off next to where Sans sat. 

"Really?" Sans couldn't help the hopeful tone in his voice. "You're sure?" He looked towards Grillby. 

Having read the context clues from Gaster's and Sans' conversation, Grillby gave a small nod. "You and your brother are welcome here any time."

Gaster pushed himself to his feet and gently nudged Grillby. "Feel free to get some rest, if you'd like. Grillby has Dragons to serve outside, and I have some business to attend to," The Dragon rumbled. 

Sans gave a small nod. "Thank you," He said, softly. And with that, the two adult Dragons took their leave.

Deciding to take a page from Papyrus' book, Sans hunkered down next to him and allowed his eye lights to flicker out. It was the most comfortable nap he had ever taken.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find more on Underflame over on the Au's personal Tumblr blog! 
> 
> URL: underflame 
> 
> Link: https://underflame.tumblr.com/


End file.
